Synaptic transmission depressed by colchicine blockade of axoplasmic flow

Colchicine, which inhibits axoplasmic transport and induces organelle alterations in nerve terminals, was injected intraocularly in pigeons. Electrical stimulation of the optic nerve yielded normal evoked potentials in retinotectal fibers, whereas postsynaptic responses recorded in the tectum were reduced. Postsynaptic depression suggests a deficit of synaptic transmission, presumably dependent on colchicine interference with migrating material.     

Silvopastoral use of Nothofagus antarctica forests in Patagonia: impact on soil microorganisms

Agroforestry Systems - Soil microorganisms contribute to soil carbon storage, soil respiration and nutrient cycling. In south Patagonia, there are scarce studies on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in...     

Properties of tomato powders as additives for food fortification and stabilization

The antioxidant activities of two freeze-dried tomato powders as additives for food fortification and stabilization were studied. The two tomato powders were obtained from the whole fruit and from the pulp after "serum" separation, respectively. The antioxidant activity was studied by measuring (a) the inhibition of the singlet oxygen-catalyzed oxidation of alpha-linolenic acid, in the presence or absence of copper ions, as a model of the oxidative processes occurring in foods, and (b) the inhibition of xanthine oxidase (XOD)- and myeloperoxidase (MPO)-catalyzed reactions and copper-induced lipid peroxidation. The partial separation of "serum" decreased the freeze-drying time by 50%. The partially fractionated tomato powder had a 60% lower phenolic content and an 11-fold higher lycopene content than the whole tomato powder, on a dry weight basis. Ascorbic acid was almost completely removed by fractionation. Both the powder obtained from the whole tomato and that obtained from the partially fractionated tomato had antioxidant activity in all the model systems used. Based on these results, we conclude that tomato powders have multifunctional properties, which could address the prevention of oxidative degradations both in foods and in vivo. Therefore, tomato can be regarded as source of food additives for fortification and stabilization, even if it is submitted to technological processes that can cause the loss of the more labile hydrophilic antioxidants.     

The relative importance of soil properties and regional climate as drivers of productivity in southern Patagonia’s <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nothofagus antarctica</Emphasis> forests

Key message

Soil texture and temperature-related variables were the variables that most contributed to Nothofagus antarctica forest height in southern Patagonia. This information may be useful for improving forest management, for instance related to the establishment of silvopastoral systems or selection of suitable sites for forest reforestation in southern Patagonia.

Context

Changes in forest productivity result from a combination of climate, topography, and soil properties.

Aims

The relative importance of edaphic and climatic variables as drivers of productivity in Nothofagus antarctica forests of southern Patagonia, Argentina, was evaluated.

Methods

A total of 48 mature stands of N. antarctica were selected. For each study site, we measured the height of three mature dominant trees, as an indicator of productivity. Seven soil, five spatial, and 19 climatic features were determined and related to forest productivity. Through partial least squares regression analyses, we obtained a model that was an effective predictor of height of mature dominant trees in the regional data set presented here.

Results

The four variables that most contributed to the predictive power of the model were altitude, temperature annual range, soil texture, and temperature seasonality.

Conclusion

The information gathered in this study suggested that the incidence of the soil and temperature-related variables on the height of dominant trees, at the regionally evaluated scale, was higher than the effect of water-related variables.

     

Native egg parasitoids recorded from the invasive <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halyomorpha halys</Emphasis> successfully exploit volatiles emitted by the plant–herbivore complex

When an accidentally introduced pest establishes in the invaded area, native natural enemies may adapt to the new host. A decade after the accidental introduction of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, in Europe, two generalist native egg parasitoids, the eupelmid Anastatus bifasciatus and the encyrtid Ooencyrtus telenomicida, have been recorded from this invasive agricultural pest in the field. Both species are able to complete development to the adult stage within the new host. Trissolcus basalis (Platygastridae = Scelionidae), which is not associated with H. halys in the field, was reared from freeze-killed sentinel eggs placed on soybean plants in central Italy. We tested in a Y-tube olfactometer the behavioural responses of these egg parasitoids to volatiles from H. halys adults and from Vicia faba plants attacked by H. halys. Both A. bifasciatus and O. telenomicida positively responded to adult H. halys male volatiles and to H. halys-induced plant volatiles, indicating ability to exploit cues associated with the new host for egg location, whereas T. basalis only reacted to female volatiles. A. bifasciatus and O. telenomicida are generalist egg parasitoids, showing a much wider host range when compared to T. basalis. On the other hand, platygastrid egg parasitoids from the native area of H. halys, considered for classical biological control, may be too risky due to the possibility of attacking non-target species, including predaceous stink bugs. Therefore, indigenous A. bifasciatus and O. telenomicida are presently under evaluation for augmentative biological control of H. halys in Europe.